Homebuyer Frequently Asked Questions
The BuyAssist Program provides support for eligible Australians to purchase a newly built approved property as home owners.
The program has been designed by a leading Not For Profit affordable housing provider (National Affordable Housing) to help make home ownership more affordable and more attainable for more Australians.
The BuyAssist Program is not suitable for everyone. Home ownership and the financial responsibilities that go with it have to be carefully assessed. The BuyAssist team will work with you to determine if you are eligible for the program and our lenders will determine your borrowing potential.
No. BuyAssist helps eligible buyers qualify for a home loan with no deposit. Through our government or charitable equity programs, we provide up to 25% of the purchase price of your new home to cover the deposit.
You must meet our BuyAsisst eligibility criteria in order to qualify for our home buyer support. This includes:
* Be buying the property as your principal place of residence
* Meet general lending criteria
* Don’t currently own property
* Permanent resident / citizen of Australia or New Zealand
* Meet eligibility of the specific government or charitable equity program
To find out if you are eligible, register your interest today.
FURTHER
BuyAssist will look to publish eligibility requirements on its website and potential applicants can take the first step by using the self-assessment tool. The program is also supported by a number of social impact investors who may their own eligibility requirements.
We maintain a record of the different eligibility criteria that may apply and each applicant will be assessed against these various criteria before being offered properties to view. Eligibility criteria may include income levels, locations available and occupation. The initial eligibility assessment is based on your current gross income.
DEPOSIT/PROGRAM COSTS
You will need to demonstrate that you can meet the costs of participating in the program.
No genuine savings are required for a deposit, but if you have savings this will help.
MAXIMUM SUPPORT AMOUNT
We want to assist people is a sustainable way. This means we are careful in how we assess your eligibility and we will only support your purchase of a property you can reasonably afford.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA SET
When you are approved the Agreement will detail the eligibility criteria you have been approved under. We will detail the maximum level of income that the support is provided for.
You will be the sole legal owner of the property, and will be responsible to meet all the normal costs of home ownership.
You will need to pay the normal costs associated with the purchase of a property and residential mortgage. This may include stamp duty, valuation and legal fees. We will work through all the costs with you before you decide to participate.
On settlement there is a one-off program participation fee of $1,430 (inc GST) to cover BuyAssist costs, and an annual administration and compliance fee (payable as a monthly direct debit to the BuyAssist investor, currently $142.50 including GST). This monthly fee is payable until the you exit the Agreement and is indexed annually.
You will be the sole legal owner of the property. BuyAssist Investors do not share the ownership with you. We are not a shared ownership or rent to buy program. It will be your responsibility to meet all the normal costs of home ownership. BuyAssist Investors will hold an equitable interest in the property’s future value and will hold a second mortgage securing these interests.
Yes. You do not need to be a first homebuyer to qualify for the BuyAssist Program. However, the program has a strong focus on helping first home buyers.
Non first home buyers may be required to pay stamp duty which will require you to have some savings.
If you are a first home buyer then you may be eligible for government first homebuyer support.
Yes. Under the terms of the Agreement you are required to occupy the property as your principal place of residence.
If there are particular circumstances that may require you to vacate the property for any length of time (transfer of employment, illness) you must contact us to discuss.
Yes. You can sell the property at any time and through any channel. The Agreement sets out the process for selling the property. When you sell your property you are required to repay the BuyAssist support amount.
We invite you to register your interest by completing the online form here.
1. We review the information you provided with your online registration.
2. We give your a phone call to discuss any extra information we may require.
3. We’ll discuss your eligibility.
4. If eligible, we’ll show you the BuyAssist options available (eg borrowing capacity and properties available).
5. We make an assessment of your serviceability.
6. We connect you with qualified lenders.
7. We match you to a property that you can call home.
BuyAssist offers home purchase support for eligible individuals, couples and families, enabling them to purchase a newly built BuyAssist property without the need for a deposit.
Through our government or charitable equity programs, we provide up to 25% of the purchase price of your new home as shared equity support.
* You don’t need a deposit to qualify.
* We make an assessment of your servicability.
* We connect you with qualified lenders.
* We match you to a property that you can call home.
The Details
BuyAssist is a shared equity home ownership program that supports homeownership without requiring you to save for a deposit.
The amount of equity support made available is typically around 25% of the purchase price of the property. This is the “BuyAssist Support Amount”. The BuyAssist Support Amount is provided by Investor who is looking to support home ownership. The BuyAssist Support Amount is combined with any savings you might have and a normal home loan from a bank lender that supports the program.
You will need to enter into a Home Ownership Participation Agreement (“HOPA”) to access the financial support. The HOPA outlines the rules that govern how the support is provided and your obligations to us and our obligations to you.
In exchange for homebuyer support, you agree that the Investor (the party providing the funds) will be entitled to an agreed share of the property’s future value. For example, if the BuyAssist Support Amount was 25% of the property’s purchase price then the BuyAssist Investor will receive 25% of the property’s agreed value when the Home Ownership Participation Agreement is completed. This usually occurs when you decide to sell the property or refinance it. The same calculation is applied even if the value of the property falls.
We have a selection of apartments, townhouses, house and land packages in various locations. New stock and programs are added throughout the year. Once you have been pre-qualified, we keep you updated as new properties become available.
To view a list of current properties, click here.
We will keep you informed when new properties are added that may suit your specific requirements.
In short, no. The newly built properties that are available under the BuyAssist Program have been carefully selected. BuyAssist is committed to improving the supply of new properties in Australia to meet the growing gap between unmet need and current supply.
If we were to provide additional financial assistance to purchase existing properties this may just push up prices, resulting in less affordability over time.
By applying this condition, we believe we will be able to make housing more affordable, thereby assisting more people into home ownership.
We use a number of home mortgage lenders. This panel of lenders understand that you are receiving financial support from BuyAssist and you have entered into the Agreement.
Once you have been pre-qualified for the BuyAssist program, we connect you with a number of lenders that you can choose from.
The BuyAssist program is a not-for-profit driven approach to supporting affordable home ownership in Australia through shared equity support.
We are not a government delivered homebuyer program but we have previously received significant funding support from the Victorian Government to help new homebuyers.
Government homebuyer programs have different eligibility criteria to BuyAssist, including a deposit requirement. BuyAssist shared equity operates nationally and does not require you to have a deposit.
The income eligibility varies depending on the particular pool of investment BuyAssist is providing. Our current focus is supporting home buyers in Victoria where the maximum household income limits as at March 2023 are:
- Single: up to $115,000 per annum
- Couple: up to $150,000 per annum
- Family (adult/s with child(ren): up to $175,000 per annum
BuyAssist will also assist you to obtain a loan from a panel of lenders who have agreed to support the program. You will need to meet standard lending criteria to be approved for a loan from one of the panel lenders.
What will I pay?
Our home loan experts will work with you to select the right panel lender for your circumstances and general banking needs. We expect that the interest rates offered to BuyAssist supported purchases will be competitive and the products will have the key features of standard home loans. Interest rates charged will vary between lenders and will normally reflect their appetite for the loans at a given time.
The key is to have access to first mortgage loans and secondly to ensure they are available at a competitive rate. We have agreed with our panel that the standard loan must be a principal and interest loan. The panel may offer variable and/or fixed rate options but interest only options are not available.
The BuyAssist support amount must be repaid in the following circumstances:-
* You sell the property;
* You no longer want to live in the property;
* You repay your first mortgage in full;
* You decide to refinance your first mortgage, or
* You are no longer eligible for BuyAssist financial support.
Can I repay or reduce my BuyAssist support amount at any time?
Yes. If you have saved extra funds or had a windfall that allows you to repay or reduce your BuyAssist support amount please contact us to work through the process.
The program is similar to shared equity arrangements that have operated successfully in WA, SA and the ACT. The major difference is that the BuyAssist Investor does not actually own a percentage of your property – you own the property 100%. There are no co-owners or tenants in common. We are not a co-ownership or rent to buy program.
Like other shared equity arrangements BuyAssist Investors do receive a share of the increase or decrease in the value of the property when the property is sold in the future.
BuyAssist Australia Pty. Limited is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of the National Affordable Housing.
National Affordable Housing is a Not-for-Profit socially responsible enterprise focused on providing affordable housing solutions for Australians. It has facilitated over 3500 affordable rental properties under the National Rental Affordability Scheme across Australia.
National Affordable Housing believes that smart investment in social and affordable housing can deliver sustainable benefits to health, employment and social inclusion for the whole community.
More and more Australians on lower to middle incomes are struggling to buy a home and are looking for help to buy.
The two main barriers people face are saving for a deposit, especially if they are meeting ever-rising rental payments, and the gap between what they can borrow from a bank and the actual price of a home to buy.
In many cases willing buyers with reliable incomes just cannot bridge these gaps.
BuyAssist is designed to help eligible households that don’t have a deposit to buy their own home by providing equity support at settlement. This helps households buy their home sooner.
Yes. The program’s complete terms, conditions, responsibilities and important information is provided to you upon program qualification.
Please note: The FAQs and information provided on this website does not constitute the complete terms and conditions of the program.
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